BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 18. I feel brotherly support in Azerbaijan, said Tajik UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) fighter Muhammad Naimov at a press conference ahead of UFC Fight Night Baku, Trend reports.
“I have come to Azerbaijan for the first time. I was warmly welcomed, and such friendly treatment was very pleasant. Of course, I expected such an attitude from Azerbaijan, but what I saw exceeded all my expectations. I truly feel brotherly support here!” he said.
Naimov also noted that this is the first time the UFC tournament has been held in Baku, and everything is organized at a high level.
“Many fans came from Tajikistan to support me. I have been preparing for this fight for a long time, and I believe the audience is in for an exciting match,” he added.
For the first time, the UFC Fight Night tournament will be held in Baku on June 21. The event at Baku Crystal Hall will feature 12 fights, six in the main card and six in the preliminary card. The main event of the UFC evening in Baku will be the fight between former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill and former title contender Khalil Rountree. The second most significant fight will take place in the lightweight division between Azerbaijani Rafael Fiziev and Chilean fighter Ignacio Bahamondes. Also entering the octagon will be representatives of Azerbaijan Nazim Sadikhov and Tofig Musayev, who will face Brazilian Nicolas Motta and Kyrgyzstani Myktybek Orolbay, respectively.
UFC Baku Fight Night Program
Preliminary card: fights start at 20:00 (GMT +4):
1. Featherweight: Irina Alexeyeva (5-2-0, Russia) vs. Klaudia Sigula (6-2-0, Poland)
2. Welterweight: Ko Sok Hyun (1-0-0, South Korea) vs. Elliott Oban (12-2-0, Wales)
3. Heavyweight: Hamdi Abdel Wahab (6-0-0, Egypt) vs. Muhammad Usman (11-4-0, Nigeria)
4. Featherweight: Melissa Mullins (7-1-0, England) vs. Daria Zheleznyakova (9-2-0, Russia)
5. Middleweight: Ismail Naurdiev (24-7-0, Morocco) vs. Park Chung Yong (18-6-0, South Korea)
6. Flyweight: Tagir Ulanbekov (16-2-0, Russia) vs. Maksum Azat (17-1-0, Kazakhstan)
Main card: fights start at 23:00, in the following order:
7. Featherweight: Muhammad Naimov (12-3-0, Tajikistan) vs. Bogdan Grad (15-2-0, Austria)
8. Lightweight: Nazim Sadikhov (10-1-1, Azerbaijan) vs. Nicolas Motta (15-5-0, Brazil)
9. Heavyweight: Curtis Blades (18-5-0, US) vs. Rizvan Kuniev (12-2-1, Russia)
10. Lightweight: Tofig Musayev (debut, Azerbaijan) vs. Myktybek Orolbay (13-2-1, Kyrgyzstan)
11. Lightweight: Rafael Fiziev (12-4-0, Azerbaijan) vs. Ignacio Bahamondes (17-5-0, Chile)
12. Light heavyweight: Jamahal Hill (12-3-0, US) vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. (14-6-0, US)
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